LACONIA — Firefighters from Laconia and Gilford quickly extinguished a fire on Darby Drive last night that threatened a stand-alone garage and the house that is four feet away.
Fire Chief Ken Erickson said the owner of 325 Darby Drive had just returned home from work at about 8:30 p.m. and was taking the trash out to the garage.
He said he noticed the engine of his SUV was on fire and quickly closed the garage door, preventing additional oxygen from getting into the garage.
The owner called 9-1-1 immediately and left the house.
Erickson said the first firefighters arrived and saw smoke and some flames coming from the garage. He said Lt. Lisa Baldini ran a hose line through the back door of the garage and extinguished the fire.
Erickson, who was still at the scene at press time, said the damage to the two cars and the garage was still unknown but complimented the homeowner on his quick thinking.
He said he was calling the owners of Briarcrest so they could arrange to have Darby Road treated because the water used to fight the fire was freezing on the street.

LACONIA — Justin Fortier of St. Raymond, Quebec, became the youngest driver ever to win the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby by overcoming a deficit of more than three minutes with a nearly flawless Sunday run that catapulted him from third to first place.
Fortier, 20, a carpenter from a small town some 40 miles northwest of Quebec City, said that his decision to switch his lead dog on Sunday from a five and a half year old dog to one only 18 months old helped pave the way for his outstanding Sunday run.
''We were very good today. I'm really proud of my team,'' said Fortier, as he waited at the finish line in a field off from Old North Main Street Sunday afternoon for confirmation from the official scorer that he had won.
''We did it!'' he said as Lakes Region Sled Dog Club announcer Tony Roux announced over the loudspeaker that Fortier had pulled off a major upset by eclipsing the three minute, 19 second lead held by two-time champion Claude Bellerive of Charette, Quebec, and finished 50 seconds ahead with a three-day time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 20 seconds compared to two hours, 15 minutes and 10 seconds for Bellerive.
Fortier was hugged immediately by Diane Marquis of St. Medard, Quebec, co-owner of his kennel, and his mother, Andree Fortier, who was latter honored with the Keith Bryar and Charlie Ned Memorial Trophy as the best dog handler in the open class.
Fortier said that most of the dogs on his team are one and a half to two years old and many had not even been born when the last Laconia Derby was held in 2011.
''I didn't race here two years ago because I didn't have a kennel.'' said Fortier, who finished third in the 2009 six-dog event and has been driving sled dogs for eight years.
He raced with 16 dogs on Friday and Saturday and dropped down to 14 dogs on Sunday.
Marquis, who runs the Chenil Claudie Kennel, says that her dogs are an Alaskan Husky-German Shorthaired Pointer mix and that she has been breeding and selling sled dogs for 20 years.
''They are well-behaved, friendly dogs who are easy to manage,'' said Marquis, who raced her own team in the six-dog class and finished seventh.
Fortier beat out not only Bellerive, who won the derby in 2007 and 2008, but also Keith Bryar Jr., of Moultonborough, defending champion, who won in 2011 and in 2002;, and Guy Girard of St. Thomas Joliette, Quebec, who had the second best times on both Friday and Saturday and has raced in Alaska.
Girard finished third with an overall time of 2:23.28 and Bryar was fourth with a time of 2:23.28.
Bellerive, whose daughter Melanie won the six-dog championship, was in trouble right at the start of Sunday's race when he lost about 40 seconds as he had to switch lead dogs. He then lost a lost of time on one of the trail loops when his team went past a turn they needed to make and he had to walk them back around.
The youngest musher to win a Laconia race prior to this year's 84th annual derby was John Piscopo Jr. of Tilton, who was 21 when he won in 1969. Piscopo, who won again the following year, was also the youngest musher ever to race in the Laconia Derby and was only 13 years old when he raced in 1961.

CAPTION:

Justin Fortier of St. Raymond, Quebec smiles after hearing on Sunday afternoon that his team won the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby. Fortier, 20, became the youngest musher ever to win the derby. He is congratulated by Diane Marquis of St. Medard, Quebec, co-owner of his kennel. (Roger Amsden/for The Laconia Daily Sun)

LACONIA — Ignoring previous advice of legal counsel and defying the county commissioners, the Belknap County Convention last night decided to ask an attorney from the Mitchell Municipal Group of Laconia to defend the convention against the suit brought by Tom Tardif charging it violated the Right-to-Know Law by electing its current officers by secret ballot.
There was a sense of urgency about the issue since if an attorney fails to file an appearance on behalf of the convention today, it would lose its case by default.
Initially the convention requested permission from the commissioners, in whom state law vests the authority to engage and direct legal counsel representing in the county, to hire its own attorney.
When the commissioners refused, the convention appealed the denial to itself.
Describing the convention as "the appellate body, Rep. Richard Burchell (R-Gilmanton) cited a law bearing on the defense and indemnification of county officials sued while acting within the scope of their official duties. It provides that the county attorney or, with the consent of the commission, outside counsel shall provide their defense. The law further provides that officials denied representation by the commissioners may appeal to the convention.
When the convention convened yesterday, after Rep. Bob Greemore (R-Meredith) moved to proceed with hiring an attorney, Rep. .Beth Arsenault (D-Laconia) asked how the convention could appeal to itself.
From the chair, Rep. Colette Worsman (R-Meredith) told Arsenault to confine her remarks to the motion on floor, reminding her that the convention had already voted to accept the appeal.
"This is going a little more haywire than I expected," remarked Rep. Dennis Fields (R-Sanbornton), who has persistently challenged Worsman's conduct of the proceedings.
Rep. David Huot (D-Laconia), a retired district court judge, said that never in his 25 years of practicing law and serving on the bench did he see a party appeal to itself.
Burchell countered that he had access to legal opinions that upheld the position taken by the convention on the strength of his advice. Rep. Ian Raymond (D-Sanbornton) suggested the convention should follow the counsel of a judge instead of "someone without a law degree."
Commisisoner John Thomas of Belmont explained that the statute Burchell cited applied to individuals, not the entire convention, and that commissioners had not denied the convention legal counsel, but instead, following the statute, had retained attorney Paul Fitzgerald of Wescott, Millham & Dyer of Laconia, to defend it.
Worsman said Fitzgerald could not represent the convention because "we've never hired him."
Last week, offering written advice paid for by the commissioners, Fitzgerald told the convention that under N.H. law it was the commissioner's legal responsibility to hire counsel to defend the convention.
Last night, the motion to hire an attorney carried by a vote of 10 to 7. Ten Republicans — Representatives Greemore, Worsman and Herb Vadney of Meredith, Burchell, Jane Cormier and Stephen Holmes of Alton, Frank Tilton of Laconia, Michael Sylvia and Chuck Fink of Belmont, and Guy Comtois of Barnstead — voted in favor while two — Dennis Fields of Sanbornton and Bob Luther of Laconia — joined the five Democrats — Arsenault, Huot, Raymond, Ruth Gulick of New Hampton and Lisa DiMartino of Gilford — in dissent.  
Sylvia proposed that the Melissa Gulbrandsen, the county attorney, represent the convention, sparing taxpayers the cost of outside counsel. ""That puts me in an awkward position between the two bodies," said Gulbrandsen, aware that the county attorney works at the direction of the commission.
Worsman said, "I am very upset that we cannot choose the most cost effective of representation. Not being able to use Melissa flies in the face of taxpayers."
Burchell suggested Worsman file an appearance to represent the convention pro se, or "for himself," to meet the deadline and retain counsel later. However, Huot pointed out that because the convention is not an individual but a body, it cannot be represented pro se.
Ultimately, with Gulick the convention voted 15 to 1 to authorize Worsman to approach the Mitchell Municipal Group.
Commissioner Ed Philpot pointed out that the convention has no authority to enter a contract or to pay an invoice.